Long Walk to Freedom

Question 3: At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human
disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious … human achievement” he
speaks of at the end?

Answer 3: The ‘extraordinary human disaster’ that Mandela mentioned at the beginning of
his speech refers to the inhuman practice of apartheid i.e., the racial discrimination
suffered by the blacks at the hands of whites in South Africa. At the end, the ‘glorious
human achievement’ that he spoke of refers to the establishment of South Africa’s first
democratic, non-racial government.
Question 4: What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
Answer 4: Mandela felt privileged to be the host to the nations of the world because not too long
ago, the South Africans were considered outlaws. He thus thanked all the international leaders
for having come to witness his investiture as President since this event could be considered as a
common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

Question 5: What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
Answer 5: Mandela had high hopes for the future of South Africa. He pledged to liberate all
South Africans from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other
discrimination. He also stressed that the beautiful land of South Africa would never ever
experience racial discrimination again.
Long Walk to Freedom
Question 1: What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
Answer 1: The highest military generals of the South African defence force and police saluted
Mandela and pledged their loyalty. When the military generals saluted Mandela, he was not
unmindful of the fact that not too many years ago, they would not have saluted him, but arrested
him. This change in attitude was due to the fact that a new, non-racial government was elected
and Mandela was then the President of South Africa.

Question 2: Why were two national anthems sung?

Answer 2: On the day of the inauguration, two national anthems were sung, one by the whites,
and the other by the blacks. This symbolized the equality of blacks and whites.

Question 3: How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country (i) in the first
decade, and (ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?

Answer 3: (i) In the first decade of the twentieth century, the white-skinned people of South
Africa patched up their differences and erected a system of racial domination against the dark-
skinned people of their own land, thus creating the basis of one of the harshest and most
inhumane societies the world had ever known.
(ii) In the last decade of the twentieth century, the previous system had been overturned forever
and replaced by one that recognized the rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the
colour of their skin.

Question 4: What does courage mean to Mandela?

Answer 4: On seeing men stand up to attacks and torture without breaking and thus showing
strength and resilience that defied the imagination, Mandela learnt that courage was not the
absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

Question 5: Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?

Answer 5: For Mandela, love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.
Long Walk to Freedom

Question 1: Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What
did it signify the triumph of?
Answer 1: Before Nelson Mandela became the President, South Africa was in the grips of
apartheid and was thus declared an outlaw by other nations. When Mandela became the
President, he abolished apartheid and thus diplomatic relations were rebuilt with many countries.
The inauguration of a new, non-racial government was a historic moment in South African as
well as world history. Thus, several distinguished international leaders attended this
inauguration. It signified the triumph of justice, peace and human dignity.

Question 2: What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African
patriots” who had gone before him?
Answer 2: When Mandela says that he was ‘simply the sum of all African patriots,’ he means
that he could identify with the unimaginable sacrifices of all those noble and courageous men
who fought for the collective freedom of the African people. He was pained that he could not
thank them and that they could not see what their sacrifices had wrought.

Question 3: Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How
does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument?
Answer 3: Yes, I agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. Mandela
thought that the decades of brutality and oppression had an unintended effect of creating many
African patriots with unimaginable heights of character. Thus, he felt that the greatest wealth of
South Africa is its people. In similar manner, Bhagat Singh remained courageous while facing
utmost cruelty at the hands of British.

Question 4: How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Answer 4: As a boy, Mandela did not have a hunger for freedom because he thought that he was
born free. He believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe,
he was free in every possible manner. He had certain needs as a teenager and certain needs as a
young man. Gradually, he realized that he was selfish during his boyhood. He slowly
understands that it is not just his freedom that is being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. It
is after attaining this understanding that he develops a hunger for the freedom of his people.

Question 5: How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
Answer 5: Mandela realized in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed,
but the freedom of all blacks. The hunger for his own freedom became the hunger for the
freedom of his people. This desire of a non-racial society transformed him into a virtuous and
self-sacrificing man. Thus, he joined the African National Congress and this changed him from a
frightened young man into a bold man.